


avalanches

by openended



Series: Olivia Shepard [17]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Mindoir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-28 15:05:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2737052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/openended/pseuds/openended
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mindoir hits harder this year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	avalanches

The battery doors whoosh open and he pauses, waiting for the familiar soft glide of Shepard's footsteps to the crate beside the weapon bench. Instead, he hears silence and the distinctive nervousness of hands rubbing together. 

"Liara?" He looks over his shoulder. He can count on one hand the number of times Liara's come into the main battery.

"Something happened on the Citadel. I believe it involved a batarian, but am not sure. Glyph is still checking." Whatever it was wasn't newsworthy, and she's having to sort through video-only security footage to find details. 

He stops what he's doing and fully turns. "Liara."

Liara takes a deep breath and remembers the haunted, desperate look on Shepard's face after speaking with Talitha three years ago. "She returned to the ship and went straight to her cabin. I tried, but she's not answered."

"Thank you," he says, already halfway out of the battery, Liara right behind him.

\---

He has full access, but didn't want to walk in unannounced; she doesn't answer when he knocks, either. He glances beside him at Liara, and she nods. He sets his palm against the scanner, the lock flashes from red to green, and the door opens.

She's sitting in the center of her bed, hair damp from a shower, in only shorts and a tank top. She's drawn her bare legs to her chest, and stares blankly straight ahead. Garrus and Liara look at each other and then slowly walk into the room.

"Shepard?" Garrus asks. She doesn't show any sign that she's noticed either of them.

Liara sits on the bed next to her. "Olivia?"

Garrus never put any stock in the rumors on the SR-1 that Shepard and Liara were a couple, but now he sees where they came from. Liara's always gentle and caring with her friends, yet her posture softens and shifts open around Shepard: Shepard isn't just a friend, she's her dearest, _best_ friend, and she cares more about her than anyone else in the galaxy. And right now, Shepard's hurting.

Shepard stirs out of her silence and looks at Liara. She blinks twice. "I forgot."

Garrus stays back and lets Liara take the lead. For all he loves Shepard, he doesn't actually know her well enough to talk her through whatever's happening. He fidgets, unable to figure out where or how to stand, or what to do with his hands, but the other two don't seem to notice. 

"What did you forget?" Liara settles her hand on Shepard's lower back, calm and reassuring.

Shepard takes a deep, shaky breath. "Mindoir. Today's the anniversary. 16 years." She turns into Liara's embrace so her friend's arm curls around her; there's no space between them now. She looks up and finds Garrus.

He's met with wide, sad eyes, full of sixteen year-old grief. He steps forward, waiting for her nod before he sits beside her. 

"I've spent more of my life without my dad than I did with him. How did I forget." She leans her head on Garrus' shoulder and he slides his arm around her waist, below Liara's.

It's obvious how she forgot. She's trying to save the galaxy, there's not much time to dwell on history. 

She reaches out and grabs Liara's hand. He can't see Shepard's face, and her expression causes Liara's breath to catch. Shepard sniffles and lets Liara tug her into her lap. She rests her head on Liara's shoulder and shakes as she tries to hold her emotions in check. But it's too much.

He wants to stay and help, wants to wrap his arms around her like Liara's done and hold her. But who she needs is Liara, who knows how to carry her through this; he'll learn, but not right now, not tonight. He stands up and brushes his hand across Shepard's cheek. 

"I'll call you later," Liara whispers, cradling the back of Shepard's head as she starts to cry. 

\---

True to her word, Liara calls him once Shepard's asleep. "I am sorry," she starts, "I know you wanted to be there for her."

He shakes his head. "It's fine, Liara." And it is. If Shepard needs her best friend instead of her boyfriend, he's not going to put up a fight about it. "How is she?"

"I think she would like it if you were here when she woke up." 

He nods. "I'm on my way."

Liara carefully sits up when he opens the door. She looks down to make sure Shepard's still asleep, and brushes her friend's hair out of her eyes. She presses a soft kiss to Shepard's temple and then rises and meets him by the fish tank. "She will be okay," she says. "With the war," _and everyone she's lost this year_ remains unspoken, "the anniversary hit hard."

"Thank you," he says, distracted, and doesn't take his eyes off Shepard.

Liara squeezes his hand and then quietly leaves.

He slips his shirt off and lies down next to Shepard, stretching out beside her. He carefully curls around her, gently sliding his arm over her waist. She whimpers in her sleep and shifts slightly, just enough to clutch at his fingers. He brushes his mouth against her bare shoulder and she settles. 

She's not told him about the attack, and he's not asked. She'd scheduled shore leave on this day last year, let everyone have twenty-four hours on the Citadel. He hadn't known and remembers hoping to spend the day with her, their relationship still in its early stages, and being disappointed when she disappeared at the dock without a word. She told him afterward and apologized for running off, but that had been the end of it. 

He adjusts the pillow under his neck and tightens his arm around her waist. "I love you," he whispers. He thinks he should say it more often.

Her omnitool pings with an incoming vidcall from her mother. He would let it go to her voicemail, but this day must be as hard for Hannah as it is for Shepard. He reaches over to her nightstand and answers.

"Garrus," Hannah says, surprised to see him instead of her daughter.

"She's asleep," he says. Hannah doesn't need to know what the sleep came after. "I'll make sure she calls you when she wakes up."

Hannah smiles sadly, knowing what preempted the sleep anyway. "Thank you for taking care of her, Garrus."

He nods. "Take care of yourself, Hannah."

"I'm not alone today, don't worry about me." The silent _please worry about her_ hangs between them.

Shepard begins to stir in his arms. 

"She's waking up, I should go."

Hannah nods. "I'll talk to you later."

He ends the call and puts her omnitool back. "Hey, Shepard," he whispers as she opens her eyes.

"Garrus?" she asks in confusion, her voice rough from sleep and tears. She's happy to see him, but she'd been expecting Liara. She blinks rapidly, her eyes sting, and shakes it off. He's here with her now, that's what matters. She turns over to face him. 

"How are you?" He gently draws a talon down her cheek. 

She sniffs and shrugs and considers lying, telling him that she's fine. But she isn't, and he's asked her not to pretend with him. She bows her head and tucks herself against his chest. "I usually don't," she starts, and cuts herself off. "It's a lot, this year. I'll be okay tomorrow."

He presses his forehead to the top of hers, and thrums softly, low and quiet. 

She sighs as the sound starts to work its magic, soothing her raw edges. He lightly drags his talon from her shoulder, to her elbow, down to her fingers, and back up again. 

"I miss them," she says. 

He _hmm_ s and the thrum takes on a slow rumble; strong, but compassionate. She closes her eyes and just listens.

She thinks about Mark sometimes, wonders if he would've stayed on Mindoir or found a way off. He would've harbored a crush on Liara for a few years, definitely, before finding someone and settling down, and probably never shutting up about how his sister was the Commander Shepard. She bets she'd have a few nieces and nephews by now, and he'd have given her so much grief for falling in love with a turian.

Dad would've liked Garrus, a lot, and asked him a thousand questions about Palaven. As much as her mother keeps the _Normandy_ stocked with treats and snacks, he would've made sure they had all the fresh vegetables and apples he could spare, and then some. 

And he'd be immensely proud of her, she knows.

Garrus skims his talon across her shoulder and softly traces her spine. His hide is warm against her skin, comforting and familiar, and he draws her closer, tangling his other hand in her hair. 

She hums quietly and settles into his touch, letting him calm and center her. His movements are soothing, his body solid around her, and she's nearly lulled into sleep again. "Thank you," she breathes, "for being here." She lifts her head and brushes her fingertips to his mandible, tracing the scarred blue. 

He kisses her forehead and lets his lips linger for a moment on her skin. "Always," he promises.


End file.
